Ask people what they want in life and they often say that they want to “be happy”. But why does happiness matter? And how can you achieve happiness?

1. Being happy may help you to be better at your job
Some people dismiss happiness as inconsequential. For example, I’ve heard a few managers say that they don’t really care whether their employees are happy so long as they are performing … Read more

What’s your strategy for having a productive day?

Unfortunately, a lot of ineffective people subscribe to the pinball method: allowing themselves to bounce from one task to the next, being diverted by requests and other interruptions as they come in, and generally being directed by other people’s whims. Clearly, that’s not a very productive way to get through life.

Instead, here are 5 research-backed methods for getting through your workload:… Read more

You’re busy. Of course you are. Who isn’t these days? The topic of productivity came up on several occasions with different individuals I’ve been coaching recently, so I thought I’d share a handful of tips and insights.

1. Batch your work (and life) tasks
During your working day, do you respond to emails as they come in? Or do you prefer to wait until you have a large number of … Read more

A large chunk of my work involves coaching leaders one-on-one or running workshops for small groups of leaders. Given the challenges they face, I have seen firsthand some of the more effective ways that some of the most successful leaders have transformed themselves and the performance of their teams. Here are 6 observations on what seems to work.

1. Prioritise relationships
Of course it’s the job of all managers to … Read more

Management writers often talk about the fact that we live in an increasingly VUCA world (which stands for Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) and I think that few people would disagree with that. In this chaotic and every-changing world, one of the best things we can do to future-proof our careers is to keep learning.

So that may be about doing more reading or doing some of the excellent (and … Read more

Feeling engaged by your work is a necessary prerequisite for high performance, productivity, success and promotion. Of course, that probably doesn’t sound that surprising.

But if that’s the case, why do so few people enjoy their work? And, more importantly, what can you do about it? (Click the image below to bring up a larger version that you can download and save.)

… Read more

Things don’t always go well in life. Your team may have been planning something for months – say a conference, a client pitch or any kind of major project – but it ends up going wrong. Of course things can go wrong away from the office too. A medical procedure accidentally endangers a patient’s life. A manoeuvre by the armed forces ends up in defeat. A mistake on an oil … Read more

I had a conversation last week with a client, the human resources director of a growing online business, who asked me what distinguishes top performers from the rest of the crowd.  At first, I said that it’s a complex answer and that there are a range of competencies or skills that help high achievers to shine.  But she (playfully) insisted on a top-of-the-head answer.

She said: “I know it’s not … Read more